Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING CONTROL APPARATUS
100011 The present disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Application
No.
202022550159.4, filed on November 6, 2020, entitled 'electric vehicle charging
control apparatus',
which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a technical field of electric vehicle
charging, and
particularly to an electric vehicle charging control apparatus.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In recent years, the electric vehicles have been developed rapidly all
over the world,
and the numbers of the electric vehicles and the charging piles rise
continuously. The users hope
to charge the vehicle battery as soon as possible. In the prior art, high-
power modes such as large
current and high voltage are usually adopted to meet the users' needs for
charging the vehicle
battery. However, the temperature of the vehicle battery increases with time
during charging, and
continually charging the vehicle battery in the high-power mode may lead to
various charging
safety accidents, so the charging safety and reliability have become a very
important problem
urgently to be solved.
[0004] In the prior art, most of the charging piles will continue to charge
the vehicle battery
by reducing the charging power after the working temperature increases.
However, this way simply
reduces the output charging power, which will lead to a great difference
between the actual output
power of the charging pile and the required power of the vehicle. This
situation undoubtedly
prolongs the charging time of the vehicle battery, and also increases the
uncontrollability and the
charging risk during the charging process of the vehicle battery.
[0005] How to reduce the extension of the charging time caused by the increase
of
temperature during the charging of the vehicle battery while ensuring the
safety is a problem
urgently to be solved in the prior art.
SUMMARY
[0006] In order to solve the technical problem in the prior art, the
embodiments of the present
disclosure provide an electric vehicle charging control apparatus, which
solves the problem in the
prior art that the charging speed is slow and the charging efficiency is low
due to the temperature
change.
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[0007] The present disclosure provides an electric vehicle charging control
apparatus,
including:
a power connector temperature detection unit provided in a power connector and
configured
to obtain a working temperature of an interior of the power connector; and
a charging control unit connected to the power connector temperature detection
unit, and
configured to control a charging power output to the electric vehicle
according to the working
temperature of an interior of the power connector obtained by the power
connector temperature
detection unit.
[0008] By using the embodiments of the present disclosure, the charging
efficiency can be
improved and the charging time can be shortened on the premise of ensuring the
charging safety
of the electric vehicle. By disposing the power connector temperature
detection unit at the power
connector, the reaction speed of the temperature detection can be improved and
the cost of the wire
cables can be reduced. By regulating the charging power according to the
working temperature of
the printed circuit board in the charging control box in conjunction with the
working temperature
of the power connector, the charging safety of the electric vehicle can be
further improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] For a clearer illustration of technical features in the embodiments of
the present
disclosure or the prior art, a brief description of the drawings for the
embodiments or the prior art
will be given below. Obviously, the drawings described below involve only some
embodiments of
this disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be
derived from these
drawings without any inventive efforts.
[0010] FIGS. 1a to 1c illustrate schematic structural diagrams of a charging
control system
of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of an electric
vehicle charging
control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates a specific structural diagram of an electric vehicle
charging control
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an electric vehicle charging control
method according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates a specific circuit diagram of a charging control
apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 6a illustrates a schematic diagram of a charging control apparatus
and an electric
vehicle charging structure according to an embodiment of present disclosure;
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[0016] FIG. 6b illustrates a schematic diagram of a charging control apparatus
and an electric
vehicle charging structure according to another embodiment of present
disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 7a illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a temperature
detection unit in a
power connector according to an embodiment of present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 7b illustrates a schematic circuit diagram of a temperature
detection unit
according to an embodiment of present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 7c illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a power
regulation unit
according to an embodiment of present disclosure.
[0020] [Reference signs]
100: electric vehicle; 101: vehicle connector; 102: charging control box; 103:
charging
control unit; 104: power connector temperature detection unit; 105: power
connector; 106:
charging power supply; 201: power connector temperature detection unit; 202:
charging control
unit; 203: memory; 204: prompting unit; 205: communication unit; 206: filter;
207: PCB
temperature detection unit; 501: temperature detection unit; 502: comparison
unit; 503: charging
control unit; 504: driving unit; 505: switch unit; 506: compensation unit;
600: charging control
apparatus; 601: temperature detection unit; 602: comparison unit; 603:
charging control unit; 604:
driving unit; 605: switch unit; 606: compensation unit; 607: power regulation
unit; 608: feedback
unit; 701: live wire terminal; 702: temperature detection unit; 703: signal
transmission line; 704:
ground wire; 705: charging cable; R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8: resistor;
RT1: thermistor; Ul:
operational amplifier; D1, D2: diode; Ql, Q2, Q3: triode; K 1 : switch; VCC:
power supply; v . REF:
reference voltage; Vi: temperature voltage; \Tout: output end; Yl, Y2: triode;
C 1 , C2: capacitor;
FBI: resistor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] A clear and complete description of the embodiments of the present
disclosure will
be set forth with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described
embodiments are only a part,
rather than all, of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other
embodiments derived by
persons skilled in the art from the embodiments of the present disclosure
without making inventive
efforts shall fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0022] FIGS. la to 1 c illustrate schematic structural diagrams of an electric
vehicle charging
control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. An
electric vehicle 100 is
connected to a charging power supply 106 through a vehicle connector 101, a
charging control box
102, a charging control unit 103, a power connector temperature detection unit
104 and a power
connector 105. The charging power supply 106 is configured to output charging
current required
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for charging the electric vehicle 100 to the electric vehicle 100 through the
power connector 105.
The charging current is transmitted to the electric vehicle 100 through the
power connector 105,
the charging control box 102 and the vehicle connector 101, and the power
connector temperature
detection unit 104 is located in the power connector 105. The charging control
unit 103 is
configured to control the output power of the charging current according to a
working temperature
collected by the power connector temperature detection unit 104, so that a
high-speed charging of
the electric vehicle 100 can be maintained when the working temperature
increases, thereby
shortening the charging time and improving the charging efficiency. The power
connector
temperature detection unit 104 may be integrated into the power connector 105,
so that a change
of the working temperature in the charging process of the electric vehicle can
be obtained more
quickly. The working temperature refers to a temperature of a charging
component other than the
battery in the electric vehicle, such as a temperature of a terminal of the
power connector 105, a
temperature of an electric cable, and a temperature of a component in the
charging control box
102. Since the power connector temperature detection unit 104 is located in
the power connector
105, the detected working temperature is a temperature in the power connector.
[0023] The charging control unit 103 may be disposed in the charging control
box 102 as
illustrated in FIG. 1 a, wherein the charging control box 102 between the
vehicle connector 101
and the power connector 105 includes components such as a transformer and a
charging protection
unit, and in some embodiments, it may be a charging pile or a portable in-
cable charging control
box. Alternatively, the charging control unit 103 may be located in the power
connector 105 as
shown in FIG. lb. Alternatively, the charging control unit 103 may be located
in the vehicle
connector 101 as shown in FIG. 1 c. The power connector temperature detection
unit 104 is built
in the power connector 105, and may be a thermistor or the like to collect a
temperature of an
electrode in the power connector 105. The charging control unit 103 is
configured to control the
power of the charging current output to the electric vehicle 100 (including
regulating the charging
current or voltage), so as to reduce the temperature in the power connector
105 by reducing the
output charging power.
[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of an electric
vehicle charging
control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2
depicts a structure
of an apparatus capable of changing a charging power more quickly according to
a temperature
change caused by charging in a charging process of an electric vehicle, and a
temperature increase
caused by charging the electric vehicle with high power can be reduced by the
apparatus. The
apparatus may be implemented by a dedicated chip or a general chip, or
executable on a single
chip microcomputer or an industrial computer, wherein functional modules
thereof may be
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implemented by software or logic circuits. The apparatus specifically
includes:
a power connector temperature detection unit 201 provided in a power connector
and
configured to obtain a working temperature of an interior of the power
connector;
a charging control unit 202 connected to the power connector temperature
detection unit, and
configured to control a charging power output to the electric vehicle
according to the working
temperature of the interior of the power connector obtained by the power
connector temperature
detection unit.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates a specific structural diagram of an electric vehicle
charging control
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which an
internal logical
structure of each functional unit is refined, and the charging control
apparatus further includes:
a memory 203 configured to store time specified by a user;
wherein the power connector temperature detection unit 201 is configured to
obtain the
working temperature of the interior of the power connector according to the
specified time.
[0026] In this embodiment, the memory 203 may be a non-volatile memory, for
example
including: a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable
programmable read only
memory, and a flash memory. The programmable read-only memory is internally
provided with
fuses in rows and columns which can be burned off by current according to the
needs of users
(manufacturers) to write the required data and program, and the fuses cannot
be recovered once
being burned off, i.e., the data cannot be changed anymore. The electrically
erasable programmable
read only memory may operate on a similar principle to that of an EPROM, but
the erasing adopts
a high electric field and no transparent window is required. The flash memory
is a form of an
electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, and is a memory allowed
to be erased or
written multiple times during operation. This technology is mainly used for
the general data storage,
and the data exchange and transmission between a computer and any other
digital product, such
as a memory card or a USB flash disk.
[0027] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further
includes a
prompting unit 204 configured to prompt a user of a state of the current
working temperature by
means of sound or light.
[0028] In this step, prompting the user by means of sound or light includes
realizing a sound
or voice prompt by a device such as a buzzer or a speaker, and prompting the
state of the current
working temperature by displaying with a multicolor LED lamp or a plurality of
monochromatic
LED lamps. The user may also be prompted by means of vibration or display on a
display screen,
or prompt information may be transmitted to an intelligent terminal of the
user (e.g., an intelligent
device such as a mobile phone) by means of an APP. The user may be prompted to
notice whether
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a charging element of the electric vehicle is located near a heat source or in
a case where the user
can manually release the heat source. The state of the working temperature
refers to a temperature
range of the current working temperature. For example, it is a normal charging
state when the
current working temperature is between the first temperature threshold and the
second temperature
threshold; it is a dangerous charging state with a high temperature when the
current working
temperature is between the second temperature threshold and the third
temperature threshold; it is
a normal charging state when the current working temperature is lower than the
first temperature
threshold; and it is a charging state in which the temperature exceeds a
safety requirement when
the current working temperature reaches the third temperature threshold.
[0029] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further
includes a
communication unit 205 configured to transmit prompt information prompting the
user of the state
of the current working temperature to an intelligent terminal of the user.
[0030] In this embodiment, the communication unit 205 is connected to the
charging control
unit 202. The charging control unit 202 is configured to convert the working
temperature of the
interior of the power connector obtained by the power connector temperature
detection unit 201
into digital data, then determine the state of the current working temperature
according to the
working temperature, and transmit the state of the current working temperature
to the
communication unit 205 which wirelessly transmits the state of the current
working temperature
to the intelligent terminal of the user.
[0031] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the power connector
temperature
detection unit 201 is located on or near a live wire terminal and/or a neutral
wire terminal in the
power connector, and the temperature detection unit 501 is fixed to the live
wire terminal and/or
the neutral wire terminal by insulative and heat-conductive silica gel.
[0032] In this embodiment, it is possible to quickly transmit the temperature
of the live wire
terminal or the neutral wire terminal in the power connector to the power
connector temperature
detection unit, and avoid the accident that the charging control unit is
burned by the high-voltage
charging current due to the thermistor used as the power connector temperature
detection unit.
[0033] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of power
connector
temperature detection units 201 may be disposed on or near the live wire
terminal and/or the
neutral wire terminal in the power connector, connected in series or parallel
to collect the working
temperature on or near the live wire terminal and/or the neutral wire terminal
in the power
connector, and transmit the working temperature to the charging control unit
202 through one
signal transmission line and one ground wire.
[0034] In this embodiment, since the charging control unit 202 may be located
on the power
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connector, or in the charging control box on an electric cable which transmits
the charging current,
or on the vehicle connector, and in each case is in a distance from the power
connector temperature
detection unit 201, so the working temperatures collected by the plurality of
power connector
temperature detection units 201 are transmitted to the charging control unit
202 in the form of
weak voltage signals (e.g., between 0.3 V and 5 V). In order that the product
is entirely integral, it
is necessary to provide the signal transmission line and the ground wire which
transmit the working
temperature inside a charging cable between the power connector and the
vehicle connector.
However, the charging cable transmits strong current (e.g., 220 V to 380 V)
for charging the
electric vehicle, and the diameter and weight of the charging cable are
already very large. Therefore,
in order to save the cost of lines transmitting the working temperature and
reduce the impact on
the charging cable, when a plurality of power connector temperature detection
units 201 are used
to detect the temperature in the power connector, all of the power connector
temperature detection
units 201 are connected in series or in parallel, and when any of the power
connector temperature
detection units 201 detects a high-temperature signal, the detected highest
working temperature is
output, and only one signal transmission line and one ground wire are used to
transmit the working
temperature of the live wire terminal and/or the neutral wire terminal in the
power connector.
[0035] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further
includes a filter 206,
which is connected to the power connector temperature detection unit 201 and
configured to
remove an interference signal in the working temperature collected by the
power connector
temperature detection unit 201.
[0036] In this embodiment, when the power connector temperature detection unit
201 is an
element such as a thermistor to collect the temperature in the power
connector, the output of a
weak electric signal representing the working temperature may be interfered by
a power frequency
of the charging current of the power connector. Therefore, before the power
connector temperature
detection unit 201 transmits the working temperature to the charging control
unit 202 through a
working temperature signal transmission line, a power frequency interference
signal is filtered out
by the filter 206 in this embodiment.
[0037] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ground wire and the
working
temperature signal transmission line connected between the power connector
temperature
detection unit 201 and the charging control unit 202 are shielded wires.
[0038] In this embodiment, by using the shielded wires as the working
temperature signal
transmission line and the corresponding ground wire, it is possible to further
reduce the
interference of the charging current on the weak electric signal of the
working temperature, so that
the detected working temperature is more accurate, and the charging power can
be controlled more
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accurately.
[0039] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further
includes a PCB
temperature detection unit 207 configured to detect the working temperature of
the interior of the
charging control box. The charging control unit 202 is connected to the PCB
temperature detection
unit and the power connector temperature detection unit, and configured to
control the charging
power output to the electric vehicle according to the working temperature of
the interior of the
charging control box obtained by the PCB temperature detection unit 207 and
the working
temperature of the interior of the power connector obtained by the power
connector temperature
detection unit 201.
[0040] In this embodiment, the structure of the PCB temperature detection unit
207 is the
same as that of the power connector temperature detection unit 201 in the
aforementioned
embodiment, except that the PCB temperature detection unit 207 is located on a
printed circuit
board (PCB) in the charging control box, and collects the temperature of
components located on
the PCB in the charging control box as the working temperature. The PCB
temperature detection
unit 207 may be fixed on the printed circuit board in the charging control box
by the
aforementioned insulative and heat-conductive silica gel. The working
temperature of the interior
of the charging control box may be transmitted to the charging control unit
202 through a working
temperature signal transmission line and the corresponding ground wire,
wherein the working
temperature signal transmission line and the corresponding ground wire may be
composed of
shielded wires.
[0041] In a further embodiment, the PCB temperature detection unit may be
mounted on or
near a relay in the charging control box and/or a connection terminal of a
connector. The relay is
a switch in the charging control box. The connector is a plug-in at a joint
between an electric cable
or a wire cable and the PCB board. The connection terminal is a terminal on
the connector
connected to the electric cable or the wire cable.
[0042] By adopting the apparatus of the embodiments of the present disclosure,
the charging
efficiency can be improved and the charging time can be shortened on the
premise of ensuring the
charging safety of the electric vehicle. By disposing the power connector
temperature detection
unit at the power connector, the reaction speed of the temperature detection
can be improved and
the cost of the wire cables can be reduced. By regulating the charging power
according to the
working temperature of the printed circuit board in the charging control box
in conjunction with
the working temperature of the power connector, the charging safety of the
electric vehicle can be
further improved.
[0043] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an electric vehicle charging control
method according
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to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 depicts a specific method
for controlling
charging power of an electric vehicle according to two factors, i.e., a
working temperature of a
power connector in conjunction with a working temperature of a charging
control box, thereby
avoiding the inaccuracy caused by controlling the charging power of the
electric vehicle according
to one single factor, and improving the charging safety of the electric
vehicle. The method
specifically includes:
step 401: obtaining a first working temperature of an interior of a power
connector and a
second working temperature of an interior of a charging control box during
charging the electric
vehicle with a charging power equal to the first charging power;
step 402: reducing the charging power output to the electric vehicle from the
first charging
power to a second charging power, when the first working temperature is
greater than a first
temperature threshold and less than a second temperature threshold, and the
second working
temperature is greater than a fourth temperature threshold and less than a
fifth temperature
threshold;
step 403: continuing charging the electric vehicle with the second charging
power, when the
first working temperature is less than the first temperature threshold and
greater than the third
temperature threshold; and
step 404: stopping charging the electric vehicle when the first working
temperature is
continuously greater than the first temperature threshold within a
predetermined time interval.
[0044] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electric vehicle is
stopped from being
charged when the first working temperature is greater than the second
temperature threshold; or
the electric vehicle is stopped from being charged when the second working
temperature is greater
than the fifth temperature threshold.
[0045] In this step, for example, the first temperature threshold may be 75 C
, the second
temperature threshold may be 78 C , the third temperature threshold may be 60
C , the fourth
temperature threshold may be 110 C, and the fifth temperature threshold may be
113 C . All of the
above temperature thresholds are empirical data determined based on actual
use, and may also be
set to other specific values. When the working temperature of the interior of
the power connector
is greater than the second temperature threshold of 78 C, or when the working
temperature of the
interior of the charging control box is greater than 110 C, a charging safety
protection mechanism
will be triggered to stop charging the electric vehicle, so as to avoid the
fire that may be caused by
the increase of the charging temperature or the damage to the electrical
elements in the charging
device.
[0046] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electric vehicle is
stopped from being
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charged when the first working temperature is greater than the second
temperature threshold, and
the second working temperature is greater than the fifth temperature
threshold.
[0047] In this step, when the working temperature of the interior of the power
connector is
greater than the second temperature threshold of 78 C, and the working
temperature of the interior
of the charging control box is greater than 110 C, the charging safety
protection mechanism will
be triggered to stop charging the electric vehicle, so as to avoid the fire
that may be caused by the
increase of the charging temperature or the damage to the electrical elements
in the charging device.
[0048] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after continuing charging
the electric
vehicle with the second charging power when the first working temperature is
less than the first
temperature threshold and greater than the third temperature threshold, the
method further includes:
stopping charging the electric vehicle when the second working temperature is
continuously
greater than the fourth temperature threshold within another predetermined
time interval.
[0049] In this step, when the second working temperature is continuously
greater than the
fourth temperature threshold, the electric vehicle is stopped from being
charged, regardless of the
magnitude of the first working temperature, i.e., no matter whether the first
working temperature
is less than the first temperature threshold or the third temperature
threshold, so as to protect the
electrical elements in the charging control box.
[0050] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after stopping charging the
electric
vehicle, the method further includes:
recording a reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time.
[0051] In this step, the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle
this time is recorded
as that the first working temperature is continuously greater than the first
temperature threshold,
if the electric vehicle is stopped from being charged because the first
working temperature is
continuously greater than the first temperature threshold within a
predetermined time interval;
the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time is recorded as
that the first
working temperature is greater than the second temperature threshold, if the
electric vehicle is
stopped from being charged because the first working temperature is greater
than the second
temperature threshold;
the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time is recorded as
that the second
working temperature is greater than the fifth temperature threshold, if the
electric vehicle is
stopped from being charged because the second working temperature is greater
than the fifth
temperature threshold;
the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time is recorded as
that the first
working temperature is greater than the second temperature threshold and the
second working
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temperature is greater than the fifth temperature threshold, if the electric
vehicle is stopped from
being charged because the first working temperature is greater than the second
temperature
threshold and the second working temperature is greater than the fifth
temperature threshold; and
the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time is recorded as
that the second
working temperature is continuously greater than the fourth temperature
threshold, if the electric
vehicle is stopped from being charged because the second working temperature
is continuously
greater than the fourth temperature threshold in another predetermined time
interval,.
[0052] The reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time
recorded in this
embodiment is stored in a memory for a query by the charging control unit.
[0053] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, after stopping charging the
electric
vehicle, the method further includes:
determining the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time,
when the first
working temperature decreases below the third temperature threshold and the
second working
temperature decreases below the fourth temperature threshold; and
controlling the charging of the electric vehicle according to the reason for
stopping charging
the electric vehicle this time.
[0054] In this step, when the first working temperature of the interior of the
power connector
is lower than the third temperature threshold and the working temperature of
the interior of the
charging control box is lower than the fourth temperature threshold, it means
that the situation that
the temperature of the electrical element is greater than the safety threshold
during charging the
electric vehicle has been suppressed by stopping the charging, and the
temperature of the electrical
element in the charging device has been decreased to a safe temperature range,
so the charging of
the electric vehicle can be restored. However, the working temperatures of
different charging
devices may represent different meanings, such as the damage, failure or
abnormality of the
charging device. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze whether the charging
can be restored
according to the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time.
[0055] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, controlling the charging of
the electric
vehicle according to the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle
this time further includes:
not restoring the charging of the electric vehicle, if the reason for stopping
charging the
electric vehicle this time is that the second working temperature is greater
than the fifth
temperature threshold, or if the first working temperature is greater than the
second temperature
threshold and the second working temperature is greater than the fifth
temperature threshold.
[0056] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, controlling the charging of
the electric
vehicle according to the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle
this time further includes:
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restoring the charging of the electric vehicle, if the reason for stopping
charging the electric
vehicle this time is that the first working temperature is continuously
greater than the first
temperature threshold, or if the reason for stopping charging the electric
vehicle this time is that
the first working temperature is greater than the second temperature
threshold, or if the reason for
stopping charging the electric vehicle this time is that the second working
temperature is
continuously greater than the fourth temperature threshold.
[0057] In this step, when the first working temperature of the interior of the
power connector
is lower than the third temperature threshold and the second working
temperature of the interior
of the charging control box is lower than the fourth temperature threshold, it
means that the
temperature of the electrical element of the charging device has been
decreased to a safe charging
range, and the reason for stopping charging the electric vehicle this time is
merely the temporary
temperature increase, so that the charging of the electric vehicle can be
restored when the charging
safety problem that may be caused by the reason such as the damage of the
electrical element or
the control failure is ruled out.
[0058] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining the first working
temperature
of the interior of a power connector and the second working temperature of the
interior of a
charging control box further includes:
obtaining a first working temperature of a live wire terminal and/or a neutral
wire terminal in
the power connector by a plurality of temperature detection units; and
obtaining a second working temperature of a printed circuit board in the
charging control box
by a plurality of temperature detection units.
[0059] In this step, by disposing a plurality of temperature detection units
on the live wire
terminal and/or the neutral wire terminal in the power connector, the working
temperature of the
electrical elements in the charging device can be obtained directly and more
quickly, thereby
facilitating the rapid response of the corresponding charging strategy. In
addition, by obtaining the
working temperature of the electrical element in the charging control box from
the printed circuit
board in the charging control box, the working temperature of the charging
device can be obtained
directly and more quickly, thereby facilitating the rapid response of the
corresponding charging
strategy.
[0060] By mounting the temperature detection unit on the live wire terminal
and/or the
neutral wire terminal, or on the relay of the printed circuit board in the
charging control box or the
connection terminal of the connector, the sampling accuracy of the temperature
detection unit can
be can improved from 1 C in the prior art to 0.5 C in the present disclosure,
the deviation of the
actual temperature can be reduced from 3 C in the prior art to 0.5 C in the
present disclosure,
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the temperature sampling time can be reduced from 10 ms in the prior art to 1
ms in the present
disclosure, and the temperature detection reliability can be changed from the
one-way control in
the prior art (controlled by a comparator or a control unit alone) to a dual-
way control in the present
disclosure (controlled by the comparator in conjunction with the control
unit). In addition, the
present disclosure further provides a compensation mechanism, i.e., a
reference voltage of the
comparator is regulated through the control of the control unit, thereby
compensating for a drift of
the reference voltage in the prior art.
[0061] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining the first working
temperature
of the live wire terminal and/or the neutral wire terminal in the power
connector by the plurality
of temperature detection units further includes:
collecting a first working temperature of a live wire terminal and/or a
neutral wire terminal
in the power connector by the plurality of temperature detection units
connected in series or
parallel and obtaining the first working temperature through one signal
transmission line and one
ground wire;
obtaining the second working temperature of the printed circuit board in the
charging control
box by the plurality of temperature detection units further includes:
collecting a second working temperature of a printed circuit board in the
charging control box
by the plurality of temperature detection units connected in series or
parallel and obtaining the
second working temperature through a signal transmission line and a ground
wire.
[0062] In this step, in order to reduce the weight of the wire cable for
transmitting the first
working temperature and the second working temperature along the charging
cable, the outputs of
the plurality of temperature detection units are merged, i.e., the first
working temperature is
transmitted through one signal transmission line and the corresponding ground
wire, the second
working temperature is transmitted through another signal transmission line
and the corresponding
ground wire, and both of the signal transmission lines transmitting the first
working temperature
and the second working temperature only transmit a highest working temperature
obtained by the
plurality of temperature detection units, thereby reducing the weight of the
charging cable and
increasing the reliability of the whole charging device.
[0063] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, obtaining the first working
temperature
of the interior of the power connector and the second working temperature of
the interior of the
charging control box further includes:
performing a shielded protection on the obtained first working temperature and
the obtained
second working temperature.
[0064] In this step, by using shielded wires as the line and corresponding
ground wire for
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
14
transmitting the first working temperature signal, and the line and
corresponding ground wire for
transmitting the second working temperature signal, the interference of the
charging current on the
weak electric signal of the working temperature can be further reduced, so
that the detected
working temperature and the control of the charging power are more accurate.
[0065] By adopting the method of the embodiments of the present disclosure,
the charging
efficiency can be improved and the charging time can be shortened on the
premise of ensuring the
charging safety of the electric vehicle. By regulating the charging power
according to the first
working temperature of the power connector and the second working temperature
of the interior
of the charging control box, the charging safety of the electric vehicle can
be further improved.
[0066] FIG. 5 illustrates a specific circuit diagram of a charging control
apparatus according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and depicts a circuit structure of
the charging control
apparatus. The temperature detection unit 501 may be a thermistor, a
thermocouple, a resistor
temperature detector, a digital sensor, etc., wherein a thermistor with a
positive temperature
coefficient (PTC) or a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) may be adopted,
such as an NTC
type thermistor RT 1 illustrated in FIG. 5, and information of the working
temperatures (e.g.,
temperatures of electrical elements) reflected by different temperature
detection units may be
expressed as different temperature voltages. In this embodiment, the
temperature detection unit
501 is further connected to a voltage division resistor R3 configured to set
the temperature voltage
output by the temperature detection unit to meet the requirement of a
comparison unit 502.
[0067] For the sake of clarity, only one temperature detection unit 501 is
illustrated in the
drawing of this embodiment, but according to the aforementioned embodiments,
there may be a
plurality of temperature detection units 501, which are respectively disposed
in the power
connector and on the printed circuit board of the charging control box. FIG.
7a illustrates a
schematic structural diagram of a temperature detection unit in a power
connector of according to
an embodiment of the present disclosure, including a live wire terminal 701 in
the power connector,
a temperature detection unit 702 mounted on the live wire terminal, a signal
transmission line 703
for transmitting a working temperature obtained by the temperature detection
unit 702, a
corresponding ground wire 704, and a charging cable 705. The temperature
detection unit 702 is
fixed on the live wire terminal of the power connector by insulative and heat-
conductive silica gel.
The signal transmission line 703 and the corresponding ground wire 704 of the
temperature
detection unit 702 are disposed along the charging cable 705 and wrapped in an
insulative outer
layer of the charging cable 705, and transmit a temperature voltage signal of
the working
temperature to the charging control unit to control the charging strategy.
According to the
aforementioned embodiments, a plurality of temperature detection units 501 may
be disposed on
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
15
the live wire terminal and/or the neutral wire terminal in the power
connector. The temperature
detection units 501 are fixed to the live wire terminal and/or the neutral
wire terminal in the power
connector by the insulative and heat-conductive silica gel. The plurality of
temperature detection
units 501 may also be disposed on the printed circuit board in the charging
control box in the
charging cable, and fixed thereto by the insulative and heat-conductive silica
gel. The temperature
voltage Vi representing the working temperature obtained by the temperature
detection unit 501 is
determined by the equation: Vi1RT1/(R3+RT1)]*VCC, where RT1 (taking NTC as an
example)
decreases with the increase of the temperature, and then Vi decreases.
[0068] FIG. 7b illustrates a schematic circuit diagram of a temperature
detection unit
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG. 7b, by
performing filtration
processing on the temperature detection unit, it is possible to prevent the
electric signal in the high-
voltage charging cable from affecting the temperature voltage of the weak
electric signal when the
temperature detection unit transmits the temperature voltage of the working
temperature to the
charging control unit through the signal transmission line along the charging
cable. Therefore, in
this embodiment, the thermistor RT1 is interfered by a power frequency signal,
and a it-type filter
is formed by a capacitor Cl, a resistor FB1 and a capacitor C2 to attenuate
the interference of the
power frequency signal.
[0069] As an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there may be
a plurality
of comparison units 502 in correspondence with the number of the temperature
detection units 501,
i.e., each of the temperature detection units 501 is corresponding to one
comparison unit 502.
Similarly, for the sake of clarity, only one comparison unit 502 is
illustrated in this embodiment,
and in other embodiments, a plurality of comparison units may also be included
to determine the
comparison relationships between the first working temperature and the
corresponding
temperature threshold, and between the second working temperature and the
corresponding
temperature threshold. The comparison unit 502 may be a hysteresis comparator,
a first input end
of which is connected to the temperature voltage output by the temperature
detection unit 501, a
second input end of which is connected to the reference voltage through a
resistor R7, and an
output end of which is connected to an input end of a driving unit 504 to
output a first comparison
result voltage to the driving unit 504. The output end of the hysteresis
comparator is connected to
the second input end through a resistor R6 connected in series.
[0070] In a case where there is only one reference voltage, when an amplitude
of the
temperature voltage input by the first input end of the comparison unit is
close to the reference
voltage, it is possible to cause an erroneous jump of the output voltage if a
noise interference of
the first input end is large and a comparison response speed is fast enough.
In order to increase the
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
16
anti-interference capability of the comparison unit, the embodiment provides
the hysteresis
comparator, which means that two reference voltages are provided. When the
input temperature
voltage representing the working temperature transitions from a low level to a
high level, the
output of the comparison unit 502 will not change unless the temperature
voltage reaches a first
reference voltage; and when the input temperature voltage transitions from a
high level to a low
level, the output of the comparison unit will not change unless the input
temperature voltage
decreases to a second reference voltage. Therefore, the structure of the
comparison unit in the
above embodiment has a hysteresis, i.e., an inertia, so that a slight change
of the input temperature
voltage will not cause the jump of the output voltage of the comparison unit,
and then the
comparison unit has the anti-interference capability.
[0071] The first comparison result voltage output by the comparison unit 502
may be at a
high level or a low level, which depends on the structure of the driving unit
504, and has the same
meaning as a high level and a low level of the second comparison result
voltage output by the
charging control unit 503 according to the comparison between the temperature
voltage and a
.. preset threshold as described later. That is, for example, when the first
comparison result voltage
output by the comparison unit 502 indicates that the working temperature (the
temperature voltage)
is higher than the preset temperature (the reference voltage), the first
comparison result voltage is
output at a high level. For the sake of simplicity, the drawing for this
embodiment only illustrates
one comparison unit 502, which may be configured to compare the first working
temperature with
the second temperature threshold, and there may be other comparison units
configured to compare
the second working temperature with the fifth temperature threshold. At this
time, the charging
control unit 503 should output the second comparison result voltage at a high
level when judging
that the working temperature (temperature voltage) is higher than the preset
temperature (e.g., the
second temperature threshold or the fifth temperature threshold), and vice
versa. In this way, the
high levels of the output comparison results are of the same meaning, and the
low levels of the
output comparison results are of the same meaning, thereby realizing the
multiple temperature
control protection.
[0072] As an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the charging
control unit
503 is connected to the temperature detection unit 501 to obtain the
temperature voltage of the first
working temperature and the temperature voltage of the second working
temperature; and the
charging control unit 503 is connected to the input end of the driving unit
504 to output the second
comparison result voltage to the driving unit 504. In other embodiments, the
charging control unit
503 may be connected to a plurality of temperature detection units 501, and
regulate the charging
power according to the aforementioned charging strategy, or stop charging the
electric vehicle.
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
17
[0073] In this embodiment, the charging control unit 503 may be a
microprocessor (MCU),
which receives a signal through IN pins (IN1 to IN3), output the signal
through OUT pins (OUT1
to OUT3), and converts the temperature voltage into a digital form to be
compared with a preset
threshold. For example, when a numerical value of the temperature voltage of
the first working
temperature is greater than the second temperature threshold, a second
comparison result voltage
indicating to switch off a switch unit 505 is output, or when a numerical
value of the temperature
voltage of the second working temperature is greater than the fifth
temperature threshold, a second
comparison result voltage indicating to switch off the switch unit 505 is
output; and when the
numerical value of the temperature voltage of the first working temperature is
less than the third
temperature threshold, a second comparison result voltage indicating to switch
on the switch unit
505 is output (or controlled according to the aforementioned charging
strategy). The second
comparison result voltage may be at a high level or a low level, depending on
the structure of the
driving unit 504.
[0074] As an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving
unit 504
includes a first transistor Ql, and a second triode Q2 is omitted compared
with FIG. 5. The first
transistor Q1 includes a collector connected to a power supply VCC, a base
connected to the
comparison unit 502 and the charging control unit 503 for receiving both the
first comparison
result voltage output by the comparison unit 502 and the second comparison
result voltage output
by the charging control unit 503, and an emitter that is grounded. The
collector is further connected
to the switch unit 505 which is switched off when the first transistor Q1 is
turned on and switched
on when the first transistor Q1 is turned off.
[0075] In this embodiment, when the base is connected to the comparison unit
502 and the
charging control unit 103 for receiving both the first comparison result
voltage output by the
comparison unit 502 and the second comparison result voltage output by the
charging control unit
503, the first transistor Q1 is turned on when either of the first comparison
result voltage and the
second comparison result voltage is at a high level. That is, when the
comparison unit 502
determines that the current working temperature exceeds the third temperature
threshold and
outputs the first comparison result voltage at a high level, or the charging
control unit 503
determines that the current working temperature exceeds the third temperature
threshold and
.. outputs the second comparison result voltage at a high level, the base of
the first transistor Q1
receives the high level so as to be turned on, thereby switching off the
switch unit 505.
[0076] As an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving
unit 504
includes a first transistor Q1 and a second transistor Q2. The first
transistor Q1 has a collector
connected to a power supply VCC, a base connected to the comparison unit 502
and the charging
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
18
control unit 503 for receiving both the first comparison result voltage output
by the comparison
unit 502 and the second comparison result voltage output by the charging
control unit 503, and an
emitter that is grounded. The second transistor Q2 includes a collector
connected to the switch unit
505, a base connected to the collector of the first transistor Q1 , and an
emitter that is grounded.
When the first transistor Q1 is turned on, the second transistor Q2 is turned
off and the switch unit
505 is switched off. When the first transistor Q1 is turned off, the second
transistor Q2 is turned
on and the switch unit 505 is switched on.
[0077] In the above embodiment, the function of the driving unit 504 may also
be realized
by other means, and a PNP triode or an MOS transistor may be used to drive the
switch unit 505,
and the switch unit may be, for example, a relay. For example, the first
comparison result voltage
output by the comparison unit 502 may be converted into a digital form to be
OR-operated with
the second comparison result voltage in a digital form output by the charging
control unit 503.
When one of the first and second comparison results in digital form is at a
high level, it means that
the working temperature exceeds the third temperature threshold, and the
switch unit 505 is
switched off The above judgment and operation may be realized by a gate
circuit in a digital
circuit, or any other form of judgment and operation circuit, which will not
be described here.
[0078] As an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the charging
control
apparatus further includes a compensation unit 506, which is connected between
the comparison
unit 502 and the charging control unit 503. When detecting a deviation of the
reference voltage,
the charging control unit 503 outputs a regulation voltage to the compensation
unit 506 to regulate
the reference voltage.
[0079] In this embodiment, when the reference voltage drifts due to aging of
the electrical
components that output the reference voltage to the comparison unit 502 or
changing of the
electrical components resulting from the change of the working temperature,
the reference voltage
may be regulated by the charging control unit 503 to be more accurate, thereby
improving the
accuracy of temperature judgment by the comparison unit 502. The charging
control unit 503
obtains the reference voltage, generates a regulation voltage for the
reference voltage according to
the comparison between the temperature voltage and the preset threshold, and
applies the
regulation voltage to the reference voltage.
[0080] As an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the
compensation unit 506
further includes a third transistor Q3, which includes a collector connected
to a power supply VCC
and the reference voltage of the comparison unit 502, a base connected to the
charging control unit
503, and an emitter that is grounded. When the charging control unit 503
determines that the
received reference voltage is not equal to a preset threshold, the charging
control unit 503 outputs
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
19
a regulation voltage to the base of the third transistor Q3 to control the
reference voltage on the
collector of the third transistor Q3.
[0081] In this embodiment, an input pin of the charging control unit 503 is
connected to the
reference voltage of the second input end of the comparison unit 502 to obtain
the reference voltage
of the second input end of the comparison unit 502. When the reference voltage
drifts due to the
change of the electrical element, the reference voltage obtained by the
charging control unit 503
is not equal to the preset threshold. For example, the set reference voltage
is 0.5 V, and the set
preset threshold is also 0.5 V, but the drifted reference voltage is 0.48 V.
At this time, when
determining that the collected reference voltage is different from the preset
threshold, the charging
control unit 503 controls the output pin to output a regulation voltage, and
turns on the third
transistor Q3, so that the reference voltage input to the second input end of
the comparison unit
502 can be regulated from 0.48 V back to the set 0.5 V.
[0082] As an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the charging
control unit
503 further includes a first output pin configured to output a pulse
modulation signal (PWM)
according to the temperature voltage to regulate the power of the output
charging current, and
output the pulse modulation signal to the electric vehicle through an
interface connected to the
electric vehicle.
[0083] In this embodiment, as the temperature of a component of the charging
device
increases or decreases, the charging control unit 503 may reduce or increase
the power of the
output charging current according to the degree of the temperature increase or
decrease (when
increasing, the temperature does not reach the preset threshold, i.e., the
temperature does not
exceed a safe charging temperature). For example, during AC charging, the
charging current is
regulated from 8A to 6A by the PWM signal due to the temperature increases.
The PWM signal
for regulating the output charging power is transmitted to a battery
management system (BMS) of
the electric vehicle, and the BMS system charges the battery with the
corresponding charging
current by a power regulation unit of the electric vehicle, thereby reducing
the intensity of the
charging current. The charging of the electric vehicle can be maintained after
the temperature of
components of the charging control apparatus increases, rather than being
directly stopped as in
the prior art, so that the charging efficiency can be improved, and the user's
experience in charging
the electric vehicle can be improved.
[0084] As an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the charging
control unit
503 further includes a second output pin configured to output a charging power
regulation signal
(CAN/Ethernet) according to the temperature voltage, and output the charging
power regulation
signal to the electric vehicle through an interface connected to the electric
vehicle.
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
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[0085] The charging control apparatus further includes a power regulation unit
connected
between the charging control unit 503 and the switch unit 505, and configured
to regulate the
power of the output charging current according to the charging power
regulation signal.
[0086] In this embodiment, as the temperature of a component, such as a power
connector,
of the charging device increases or decreases, the charging control unit 503
may reduce or increase
the power of the output charging current according to the degree of the
temperature increase or
decrease (when increasing, the temperature does not reach the preset
threshold, i.e., the
temperature does not exceed a safe charging temperature). For example, during
DC charging, the
charging control unit 503 reduces or increases the power of the charging
current output by the
power regulation unit by outputting a charging power regulation signal to the
power regulation
unit. When the working temperature of the interior of the power connector
exceeds the temperature
threshold (e.g., the first working temperature is greater than the second
temperature threshold, or
the second working temperature of the printed circuit board in the charging
control box is greater
than the fifth temperature threshold, etc.), i.e., exceeds the safe charging
temperature, the charging
control unit 503 or the comparison unit 502 outputs a driving signal to drive
the switch unit 505 to
be switched off. After the switch unit 505 is switched off, the power
regulation unit stops outputting
the charging current to the electric vehicle, thereby decreasing the
temperature in the charging
control apparatus and the temperature of the battery of the electric vehicle
and ensuring the
charging safety. The charging power regulation signal output by the charging
control unit 503 may
also be transmitted to the BMS system of the electric vehicle through a CAN
bus or an Ethernet
bus of a charging gun on the charging control apparatus, so that the BMS
system can charge the
battery at corresponding power with the charging current output from the
switch unit 505 of the
charging control apparatus according to the charging power regulation signal,
thereby reducing the
intensity of the charging current. Therefore, the charging of the electric
vehicle can be maintained
after the temperature of components of the charging control apparatus
increases, rather than being
directly stopped as in the prior art, so that the charging efficiency can be
improved, and the user's
experience in charging the electric vehicle can be improved.
[0087] Referring to FIG. 5, VCC is an anode (hereinafter referred to as the
power supply for
abbreviation) of a power supply voltage source, the GND is a cathode of the
power supply voltage
source, VREF is a reference voltage, i.e., a set temperature threshold, which
is connected to a resistor
R7, and the other end of the resistor R7 is connected to a positive input pin
(i.e., a second input
end) of an operational amplifier. The reference voltage VREF may be a fixed
value, or a preset
threshold inside the charging control unit 503, in which case the charging
control apparatus can
automatically regulate the temperature threshold. A thermistor RT1 is a
thermosensitive element,
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
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with one end connected to the ground, and the other end connected to the
resistor R3 to constitute
the temperature detection unit 501 which is connected to an input end of the
comparison unit 502,
i.e., a connection point between the resistor R3 and the thermistor RT1 is
connected to a negative
input pin (i.e., a first input end) of the operational amplifier Ul. The
thermistor RT1 and the resistor
R3 constitute a voltage division circuit, and the thermistor RT1 may be an NTC
type thermistor.
When the working temperature of the interior of the power connector increases,
a resistance value
of thermistor RT1 decreases, and a voltage value of a divided temperature
voltage Vi decreases,
whereas when the temperature decreases, the Vi increases. The resistor R6 is a
feedback resistor
connected between an output pin (an output end) of the operational amplifier
Ul and the positive
input pin (i.e., the second input end).
[0088] When Vi <VREF, the operational amplifier Ul outputs a high level; and
when Vi >VREF,
Ul outputs a low level. Vout is the output end of the operational amplifier Ul
, and the Vout is
connected to one end of a diode D1, the other end of the diode D1 is connected
to a resistor R4,
the other end of the resistor R4 is connected to the base of the first
transistor Q1 of the driving unit
504. A resistor R5 has one end connected to the power supply VCC and the other
end connected
to the collector of the first transistor Q 1 . The second transistor Q2 has
the base connected to a
connection point between the collector of the first transistor Q1 and the
resistor R5, the emitter
connected to the ground, and the collector connected to the control end of the
switch unit 505. A
switch K1 of a power supply network is used to control a path of the charging
current supplied to
the electric vehicle, and when the switch K1 is switched off, the charging
current supplied to the
electric vehicle is directly cut off to terminate the charging process. When
the Vout outputs at a
high level, the first transistor Q1 is turned on and the second transistor Q2
is turned off, and the
switch K1 of a power supply network is switched off, so as to cut off the
charging current output
to the electric vehicle. When the Vout outputs a low level, the first
transistor Q1 is turned off, the
second transistor Q2 is turned on, and the switch K1 of the power supply
network is switched on
to maintain the charging current output to the electric vehicle. L_IN, K1 and
L_OUT constitute a
path in the main power supply network. When the working temperature exceeds
the temperature
threshold, the Vout outputs a high level to disconnect the power supply
network, and the charging
current output by L_OUT is 0.
[0089] The thermistor RT1 may be integrated with other electrical components
such as the
operational amplifier Ul or disposed separately. There may be one or more
thermistors RT1, which
may be located at different parts of the charging control apparatus to collect
the working
temperatures of those different parts or the temperatures of the electrical
components, and for
example, the thermistor RT1 is mounted in the power connector, in the printed
circuit board of the
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
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charging control box.
[0090] The operational amplifier Ul may be a hysteresis comparator to avoid
the frequency
switching of the switch unit 505 between a switched-on state and a switched-
off state when the
working temperature of the switch K1 is close to the temperature threshold.
When the first working
temperature of the interior of the power connector is higher than or equal to
T2 (the second
temperature threshold), the switch unit 505 is switched off When the first
working temperature is
lower than or equal to T3 (the third temperature threshold), the switch unit
505 is switched on. In
other embodiments, when the second working temperature of the interior of the
charging control
box is higher than or equal to T5 (the fifth temperature threshold), the
switch unit 505 is switched
off, and the aforementioned embodiment and be referred to for detail. The T2
is greater than T3,
and the difference between T2 and T3 may be changed by regulating resistance
values of the
resistor R6 and the resistor R7. A hysteresis voltage width AV is determined
by the equation:
AV=(R7/R6)x(VH-VL), where VII is the VCC and VL is OV. Two threshold voltages
u+ and u-
of the hysteresis comparator are determined by the equations: u+=(VH- VREF) X
R7/(R7+R6), u-
=(VL- VREF) X R7/(R7+R6). When the output voltage \Tout of the hysteresis
comparator is equal to
VII, then VREF =u+. When the temperature voltage Vi is greater than VREF, the
output voltage \Tout
of the hysteresis comparator is changed to VL, and VREF is also changed to u-.
Under this condition,
when the temperature voltage Vi is less than VREF, the output voltage \Tout is
changed to VII. Since
u+-u-=AV, the hysteresis comparator has a lower sensitivity than the ordinary
comparator, but its
anti-interference capability is greatly improved.
[0091] In order to improve the charging safety of the electric vehicle, the
charging control
unit 503 collects the temperature voltage Vi and the reference voltage VREF.
When it is detected
that the reference voltage VREF deviates from the preset threshold, i.e., the
reference voltage VREF
changes, the compensation unit 506 regulates and corrects the value of the
reference voltage VREF
to improve the accuracy of the temperature judgment. One output end of the
charging control unit
503 is connected to the resistor R1, the other end of the resistor R1 is
connected to the base of the
third transistor Q3, the emitter of the third transistor Q3 is connected to
the GND, the collector of
the third transistor Q3 is connected to one end of the resistor R2 and the
reference voltage VREF,
and the other end of the resistor R2 is connected to the power supply VCC. The
charging control
unit 503 outputs a regulated voltage to control the duty ratio of the third
transistor Q3, so as to
regulate the reference voltage VREF.
[0092] The charging control unit 503 also detects the state of the switch K1
through a
feedback of a resistor R8 connected thereto. When the switch K1 remains a
switched-on state while
it is detected that the working temperature exceeds the temperature threshold
(e.g., the first
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
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working temperature is greater than the second temperature threshold, and the
second working
temperature is greater than the fifth temperature threshold), it means that
the comparison unit 502
fails to control the switch K1. The charging control unit 503 compares the Vi
with the preset
threshold, and outputs a high level when the Vi reaches or exceeds the preset
threshold, and turns
on the first transistor Q1 through the diode D2, and the second transistor Q2
is turned off, thereby
disconnecting the power supply network. The comparison unit 502 and the
charging control unit
503 realize a dual detection of the temperature detection unit 501 and the
dual control of the driving
unit 504, thereby improving the charging safety of the electric vehicle.
[0093] FIG. 6a illustrates a schematic diagram of a charging control apparatus
and a charging
structure for an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure, wherein an
AC charging system is adopted. When the working temperature increases but does
not exceed a
set temperature threshold (e.g., the first working temperature increases but
does not exceed a set
second temperature threshold, or the second working temperature increases but
does not exceed a
set fifth temperature threshold), a charging control unit 603 of a charging
control apparatus 600
outputs a regulated PWM signal. For example, when the charging current is 8A,
the corresponding
duty ratio (PWM signal) is 13.3%, and when the charging current is 6A, the
corresponding duty
ratio value (PWM signal) is 10%, so as to regulate the power of the charging
current. The charging
control unit 603 outputs the modified duty ratio signal for charging power
regulation to the power
regulation unit 607 of the electric vehicle, and the power regulation unit 607
reduces the charging
current intensity under the control of the BMS system of the electric vehicle.
When the temperature
detection unit 601 detects that the working temperature of the interior of the
power connector
exceeds the third temperature threshold, the switching unit 605 is switched
off to stop charging the
electric vehicle. In other embodiments, the charging control unit 603 may also
output a control
signal of voltage to regulate the charging current.
[0094] In FIG. 6a, a feedback unit 608 is further included to obtain a driving
signal of the
driving unit 604, so that the charging control unit 603 can determine whether
the driving unit 604
correctly drives the switch unit 605.
[0095] FIG. 7c is a schematic structural diagram of a power regulation unit
according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the power
regulation unit 607 may
be composed of a push-pull circuit. The charging control unit 603 outputs a
modified PWM signal,
and the CP terminal outputs a PWM signal with a VCC at a high level and a VEE
at a low level.
The duty ratio represents the maximum allowable charging current, and the
charging power is
reduced by reducing the duty ratio. In the circuit of this embodiment, a
transistor Y1 is turned on
in a positive half cycle and a transistor Y2 is turned on in a negative half
cycle. The functions of
CA 03196664 2023- 4- 25
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the comparison unit 602, the compensation unit 606, etc. in this embodiment
are the same as those
in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, and will not repeated here.
[0096] FIG. 6b illustrates a schematic diagram of a charging control apparatus
and an electric
vehicle charging structure according to another embodiment of present
disclosure, wherein a DC
charging system is adopted. When the working temperature increases but does
not exceed a set
temperature threshold (e.g., the first working temperature rises but does not
exceed a set second
temperature threshold, or the second working temperature rises but does not
exceed a set fifth
temperature threshold), the charging control unit 603 of the charging control
apparatus 600
regulates the charging power to generate a charging power regulation signal,
which is transmitted
to the electric vehicle in the form of a CAN message through a CAN bus
interface in a charging
gun connected to the electric vehicle, thereby reducing the power of the
charging current.
Moreover, the charging power regulation signal is further output to the power
regulation unit 607
in the charging control apparatus, and the power regulation unit 607 regulates
the power of the
output charging current (regulating the current or the voltage, or both)
according to the charging
power regulation signal, so as to charge the battery of the electric vehicle.
[0097] The power regulation unit 607 is configured to receive the charging
current, regulate
the power of the charging current and output it to the electric vehicle
through the switch unit 605.
The structure of the power regulation unit 607 may refer to FIG. 7c.
[0098] In the above embodiment, by reducing the power of the charging current
to charge
the battery of the electric vehicle, the temperatures of the electrical
elements of the charging device
can be decreased. When the working temperature detected by the charging
control apparatus is
lower than the temperature threshold (e.g., the third temperature threshold),
the charging control
unit 603 outputs a control command to the power regulation unit 607 according
to the working
temperature to restore the power of charging current, thereby improving the
charging speed.
[0099] Through the above embodiments, the charging efficiency can be improved
and the
charging time can be shortened on the premise of ensuring the charging safety
of the electric
vehicle. By regulating the charging power according to the first working
temperature of the power
connector in conjunction with the second working temperature of the interior
of the charging
control box, the charging safety of the electric vehicle can be further
improved.
[00100] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer
device,
including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory
and executable
on the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer
program to
implement the following steps:
obtaining a first working temperature of an interior of a power connector and
a second
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25
working temperature of an interior of a charging control box during charging
the electric vehicle
with a charging power equal to the first charging power;
reducing the charging power output to the electric vehicle from the first
charging power to a
second charging power, when the first working temperature is greater than a
first temperature
threshold and less than a second temperature threshold, and the second working
temperature is
greater than a fourth temperature threshold and less than a fifth temperature
threshold; and
continuing charging the electric vehicle with the second charging power, when
the first
working temperature is less than the first temperature threshold and greater
than the third
temperature threshold; and
stopping charging the electric vehicle when the first working temperature is
continuously
greater than the first temperature threshold within a predetermined time
interval.
[00101] The computer device according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure can also
implement the method as illustrated in FIG. 4.
[00102] Corresponding to the method in FIG. 4, an embodiment of the present
disclosure
further provides a computer readable storage medium storing a computer
program, wherein when
being executed by a processor, the computer program implement the steps of the
above method.
[00103] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer
readable
instruction, wherein when the instruction is executed by a processor, a
program therein causes the
processor to implement the method as illustrated in FIG. 4.
[00104] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present
disclosure, the
sequential number of each process does not indicate the order of execution
that should be
determined according to the function and the internal logic, and also does not
restrict the
implementation process of the embodiments herein.
[00105] It should be further understood that in the embodiments of the present
disclosure, the
term `and/of is merely an association relationship describing the associated
objects, and indicates
that there may be three relationships. For example, A and/or B may indicate
that A exists alone, A
and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character '/'
herein generally
indicates that the associated objects are in an 'or' relationship.
[00106] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and algorithm
steps of the
examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be
implemented by
electronic hardware, computer software or a combination thereof, and in order
to clearly illustrate
the interchangeability between hardware and software, the compositions and
steps of the examples
have been generally described as above in terms of functions. Whether these
functions are
performed in hardware or software depends on the particular application and
design constraints of
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26
the technical solution. Professionals can implement the described functions
using different
methods for each particular application, but such implementation should not be
considered as
going beyond the scope of the present disclosure.
[00107] It can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that for the
convenience and
conciseness of the description, the specific working processes of the systems,
apparatuses and units
described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing
method embodiments,
and will not be repeated here.
[00108] In several embodiments provided herein, it should be understood that
the disclosed
systems, apparatuses and methods can be implemented in other ways. For
example, the apparatus
embodiments described above are merely illustrative, e.g., the unit
partitioning is only a logical
function partitioning, and other partitioning modes are possible during the
actual implementation.
For example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated
into another system,
or some features may be omitted or not executed. In addition, the mutual
coupling or direct
coupling or communication connection illustrated or discussed may be an
indirect coupling or
communication connection through some interfaces, means or units, and may be
in electrical,
mechanical or other forms.
[00109] The units described as separate components may or may not be
physically separated,
and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, i.e.,
they may be located
in one place or distributed to a plurality of network units. Some or all of
the units can be selected
according to the actual needs to achieve the objectives of the embodiments of
the present disclosure.
[00110] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the present
disclosure may be
integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may be existed physically
alone, or two or more
units may be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit may be implemented
in the form of
hardware or a software functional unit.
[00111] If being implemented in the form of a software functional unit and
sold or used as an
independent product, the integrated unit may be stored in a computer readable
storage medium.
Based on such understanding, the essence of the technical solutions of the
present disclosure, i.e.,
portions making contributions to the prior art, or all or part of the
technical solutions may be
embodied in the form of a computer software product, which is stored in a
storage medium and
includes several instructions for causing a computer device (e.g., a personal
computer, a server, a
network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods
described in the
embodiments of the present disclosure. The foregoing storage medium includes
various media that
can store program codes, such as a USB flash disk, a mobile hard disk, a Read-
Only Memory
(ROM), a Random-Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.
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27
1001121 Specific embodiments are used herein to explain the principles and the
implementations of the present disclosure, and the descriptions of the above
embodiments are only
intended to help understanding of the method and the core idea of the present
disclosure.
Meanwhile, those of ordinary skilled in the art can modify the implementations
and the application
scope according to the concept of the present disclosure. To sum up, the
content of this
specification should not be construed as limitations to the present
disclosure.
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